Rolling Boy
by bunnyteacakes
Summary: Why did he keep doing it? He was just hurting himself. Anzu frowned, her brow furrowing. He was just hurting himself.


The bell rang over the sound of students shuffling in their seats and packing away their books. Anzu turned in her desk and watched Yugi putting his books away. He was moving slowly, slow enough that she caught sight of the tip of a puzzle box peeking out of his bag as he slid the last of his notebooks in behind it.

Anzu had known Yugi since they had class together in third year of primary school. Back then he had been chipper, if not a bit shy, and he always liked games. He was small, even for a third year, and she thought that he looked like a little baby. And being the child that she was, took it upon herself to take care of him. She walked him home from school everyday, and she wiped crumbs off of his face when he ate lunch. Because he had no other friends and was often a target for bullies, Yugi clung to her like a flower to sunlight and she didn't mind.

When they started middle school, and she became more invested in dance than games, they hung out a little less. She still walked with him to school, but she talked to her girl friends more than him, and she found that she minded less when Yugi had stray bits of rice on his face.

Then, The Rolling started.

There was a hill outside of their school, just past the pool. It was steep and grassy. In the spring, dandelions and the stray flowering weed peeked out between chartreuse blades and danced in the wind. Yugi stood at the top of the hill, watching the weeds sway. And then he'd drop, rolling down the hill, picking up speed as he neared the bottom. Over and over again he'd roll, blonde bangs whipping around his face, green stains peppering his white uniform shirt. When he reached the bottom of the hill, he'd stand and, not bothering to dust himself off, he'd go back to the top and roll again. When he arrived at school the next day, his skin would be covered in purply-black bruises. The cuts that were too deep to be left alone would be haphazardly covered in bandages.

Everyone had theories for why Yugi did it.

"He's nuts!"

"Maybe he's trying to break a world record or something."

"Maybe it's some sort of stunt for attention."

Yugi rolled down the hill every day for weeks, and the severity of his injuries grew; his self inflicted bruises were almost indistinguishable from the ones left by bullies. Some days he would walk into class with gauze wound tightly around his hands. Others he came into class with multicolored bruises splashed across the back of his neck, spreading up to his chin. He hardly smiled.

Anzu stopped walking home with him. He rolled for so long that she couldn't wait for him. At lunch time he disappeared. Or maybe Anzu stopped looking. She just couldn't understand him anymore. She supposed that it was only a matter of time before that happened. Her mother had told her that boys and girls become completely different once they reach a certain age. Maybe it was just that they were becoming too old to play games and walk together.

A month after The Rolling started, Anzu trotted along towards the gates with a few girls from her dance class, giggling amicably about music and homework and boys when one of the girls glanced over her shoulder with an exasperated sigh.

"The boys are going to go watch Yugi roll again," she said. The rest of them stopped and turned around as well. A group of boys were making their way around to the back of the school. They turned and started walking again.

Another girl turned to Anzu, her ponytail swaying, "You guys are friends, right? Why does he do that?"

Anzu shrugged. "We aren't really friends anymore. I have no clue what he's up to. Your guess is as good as mine."

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, the girls went back to chatting. Anzu clamped her mouth shut and looked over her shoulder again.

"I just remembered!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening. "I forgot my stupid math book at school. I've gotta go get it." She turned on her heel and started to run. "I'll see you guys later!"'

Anzu ran back towards the school as quickly as her legs would take her.

She needed to see Yugi roll.

The crowd was beginning to dissipate when she reached the hill. He had been at it for around 30 minutes, and people were getting bored. He pulled himself up and trudged to the top of the hill again, the skin on his arms red from rubbing against the grass. Three more boys turned and walked away. Anzu settled on the grass at the top of the hill and watched him fall. His whole body looked limp as he rolled and tumbled and flipped down the hill, and she couldn't resist cringing as his shoulder came down hard against the ground beneath him. He stood and walked up the hill again.

Why had Yugi started rolling? It was weird, and it couldn't be comfortable. It had to hurt. If he was playing some sort of game, it wasn't safe at all.

Anzu was the only one left now. Over an hour had passed since she sat down. She watched Yugi climb the hill again, breathless and battered. There wasn't an audience for his antics anymore, so why did he keep doing it? He was just hurting himself.

Anzu frowned, her brow furrowing.

He was just _hurting_ himself.

Yugi reached the top of the hill, his chest heaving as he took labored, shallow breaths. Anzu stood up quickly, the sound of her heartbeat drumming loudly in her ears. She was holding her breath. One thought flashed across her mind quickly, and it made her blood race in her veins and her heart flutter dangerously quickly in her chest. She didn't want to think it, but it crashed around in her head until her skull was throbbing. Yugi started to roll, and Anzu ran to the edge of the hill, grabbing hold of his wrist.

The two of them tumbled down the hill, their combined weight making them roll faster and faster, their elbows and knees knocking into each other clumsily as they fell. Anzu yelped as her skin rubbed against the grass.

Finally, they reached the bottom of the hill. Yugi sat up before she did. He put his small hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He cried, his voice breaking.

Anzu sat up slowly and rubbed her back, tears stinging her eyes. Her knee was bleeding and raw. She glanced up at Yugi, her pain forgotten as she looked him over. His body was marred with scratches, blood pooling in little specks at the edges. Blood dripped from a spot above his eye, and there were dark bruises on his forearms.

"Me!? What about you?" Anzu screeched, gesturing at him. "You're a wreck!"

Yugi looked away. "It's nothing." He said quietly.

Anzu rolled her eyes. "Shut up! It's not nothing. You're bleeding and bruised, Yugi! Why do you keep rolling down this stupid hill anyway?"

A tear slipped down Yugi's cheek. Another followed. And another still until Yugi was sobbing, his shoulders heaving, and his breathing haggard. Anzu leaned forward and wrapped Yugi up in a gentle hug.

"It's okay now. Let's go home. You must be tired, right?" Anzu cooed, cradling Yugi's head.

Slowly, Yugi's arms made their way around Anzu's torso, his fingers gripping her uniform coat. In an almost whisper, Yugi said six words that almost tore Anzu's heart right out of her chest.

"I want to stop breathing, now."


End file.
